Labour MEPs: UK govt must apply now for EU funding for British flood victims before deadline runs out

Labour MEPs today warned the government not to waste any more time and apply now for EU funding to help communities hit by the recent floods.

Britain is entitled to apply for money from the EU Solidarity Fund, a fund which last year paid out more than £40 million to the governments of Bulgaria, Italy and Romania following severe flooding in those countries to help their communities recover.

Labour MEPs wrote to David Cameron at the time of Storm Desmond in December, calling on him to act, yet despite with the deadline to apply looming, he shows no sign of doing so.

“Many areas of Britain were badly affected by the storms – thousands of homes were flooded, lives have been disrupted, communities are still suffering and will continue to unless the government stops dithering and applies for the EU funding we are entitled to.

“It’s been estimated the economic impact of the flooding in the UK is £5 billion.

“Only the government can apply for the EU Solidarity Fund – the longer they delay, the greater the disruption, the bigger the eventual cost, the more likely we are to be under-prepared for any future extreme weather events.”